From time to time I like to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of the Campus Bound staff, many of whom are former college admission counselors, and ask them questions that could provide some inside information that could potentially help you. This month I asked, “What was the best college essay you ever read, and what made it stand out to you?” Here are their responses:
Easier said than done, we know! The college process, for those entering it, can feel overwhelming and scary. But if there is one thing we’ve learned over the years of working in admissions, helping families as college counselors, and as parents going through the process ourselves (many of us additionally have kids who have recently applied to college!) is that trust is the key.
We may be biased, okay we are definitely biased, but Campus Bound students are the best. We are so lucky to have worked with some pretty amazing students over the years. For this week’s blog, we decided to tap into the experience and knowledge of our former Campus Bound clients to see what advice they have for students currently going through the process, or who are about to go through it.
The college process can bring up some complicated feelings for both students and parents, and there are different ways students express themselves. In this blog, we outline three “typical” difficult students and tell you what is really going on. We also tell you how you can have these conversations with your kids, and how Campus Bound can help.
If you haven’t already read this article from Education Week, I suggest that you do so. It was concerning to us here at Campus Bound, and we wanted to take this opportunity, in this blog, to respond to it.
The take-away from the article, and from this recent study from the National Association of College Admission Counselors, is that only a third of the public high schools in the United States have a college counselor, or designated counselor, to help them with post-high school educational goals. Even more concerning is that the likeliness of a school having a college counselor goes down as the poverty rate of the high school students goes up. So even fewer middle to lower class students are getting this kind of support.
Much of the staff at Campus Bound has worked here for several years. It’s a fabulous place to work for many reasons, including: the collegiality among the staff, the guidance of the senior staff and supervisors, and, most importantly, the clients we serve. One of the great things about working at Campus Bound is the honor of being able to work with a family over several years. It’s one of the true joys of my job.
From time to time, we like to utilize the well over 50 years of combined college admissions experience of the Campus Bound staff to provide students and parents with some inside scoop. These counselors have been on the other side of the desk, so their advice is priceless.
This time, we asked our former College Admission Counselors, “If a student has less than stellar grades, how can they enhance their application in other ways?”
Here are their responses.:
Unfortunately, this happens quite a bit: we’ll have our first meeting with student and then they say the words we dislike hearing, “I wish I had known that…”
We wish the college process wasn’t confusing or difficult, but the truth is, it can be. Here are some of the most common scenarios, by school year, in which we hear students say “I wish I knew that!” Pay attention… don’t let it be you!
It’s no surprise that taking a year off between high school and college is a growing trend in America. The rising number of gap year programs and increase in information about taking a gap year are leading parents to ask the question, “Could a gap year program be right for my son or daughter?” The gap year trend has seen a 20 percent increase since 2006 and the initial data is coming back with overwhelmingly positive indications for student success in college. Yet, many parents are still hesitant and anxious about their student taking a year off. Being informed and seeking help from trusted professionals will help you will make the right decision about whether or not this rising trend is right for your child.
At Campus Bound, our mission is to:“Assist students in finding the college or university that is the best fit academically, socially and financially.” But what does “the best fit” mean? We break it down for you here.
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